


A Flower's Bud

by Trudie014



Category: Percy Jackson and the Olympians - Rick Riordan
Genre: Cross-Posted on Wattpad, F/M, I Don't Even Know, M/M, My First Fanfic, dude - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-03-19
Updated: 2021-03-19
Packaged: 2021-03-28 17:20:56
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 14,263
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30142947
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Trudie014/pseuds/Trudie014
Summary: What if there was another demigod found a Westover hall with the son and daughter of Hades? What if they was a rare demigod? With powers that are equal to children of the big three? What if they were named Sage Flora Gold?Sage has been with the siblings since their first day at Westover hall, what happens when 4 strangers come to her school and introduce the trio into the world of Mythology, something she knew all about but never knew was real. How will the mythology nerd and her friends survive in this new world and who was her mother? What is waiting for her in the demigod life?  Read and find out in A Flower's BudStarts in the third book, The titan's curse, I don't own Percy Jackson, nor any of the characters except Sage and any other ideas I have to change to fit my plot.
Relationships: Annabeth Chase/Percy Jackson, Hades/Persephone (Percy Jackson), Juniper/Grover Underwood, Other Relationship Tags to Be Added
Kudos: 2





	1. Cast/Character introduction

【Ｓａｇｅ Ｆｌｏｒａ Ｇｏｌｄ】

**face claim: Ashley Moore (think of her a little younger, I just couldn't find any images that fit)**

𝔻𝕒𝕦𝕘𝕙𝕥𝕖𝕣 𝕠𝕗 ℙ𝕖𝕣𝕤𝕖𝕡𝕙𝕠𝕟𝕖

"I'M NOT JUST GONNA SIT AROUND AND WAIT FOR EVERYTHING TO COME TO ME"

"WHAT ABOUT ME AND NICO? WHAT ABOUT FAMILY?"

"OH GOD, THAT'S A SWORD! THAT'S A SWORD!"

【ＮＩＣＯ ＤＩ ＡＮＧＥＬＯ】

𝕊𝕆ℕ 𝕆𝔽 ℍ𝔸𝔻𝔼𝕊

"I THOUGHT THE SUN WAS A BIG FIERY BALL OF GAS!"

"YOU PROMISED YOU WOULD PROTECT HER!"

"DOES ZEUS REALLY HAVE LIGHTNING BOLTS THAT DO 600 DAMAGE?"

【ＰＥＲＳＥＰＨＯＮＥ】

face claim: Brittany O'Grady

𝔾𝕆𝔻𝔻𝔼𝕊𝕊 𝕆𝔽 𝕊ℙℝ𝕀ℕ𝔾

ℚ𝕌𝔼𝔼ℕ 𝕆𝔽 𝕋ℍ𝔼 𝕌ℕ𝔻𝔼ℝ𝕎𝕆ℝ𝕃𝔻

"HELLO MY DAUGHTER"

"NOT EVERYTHING IS AS IT SEEMS, DON'T BE FOOLED BY A PRETTY FACE"

"USE THEM WELL MY DARLING, THEY CAN BRING YOU GREAT FORTUNE OR TRAGIC DISTASTER"


	2. 1 - WESTOVER HALL

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> pov from percy view, same as book just here to add context and start the story

~percy~

The Friday before winter break, my mom packed me an overnight bag and a few deadly weapons and took me to a new boarding school. We picked up my friends Annabeth and Thalia on the way.

It was an eight-hour drive from New York to Bar Harbor, Maine. Sleet and snow pounded the highway. Annabeth, Thalia, and I hadn't seen each other in months, but between the blizzard and the thought of what we were about to do, we were too nervous to talk much. Except for my mom. She talks more when she's nervous. By the time we finally got to Westover Hall, it was getting dark, and she'd told Annabeth and Thalia every embarrassing baby story there was to tell about me.

Thalia wiped the fog off the car window and peered outside. "Oh, yeah. This'll be fun."

Westover Hall looked like an evil knight's castle. It was all black stone, with towers and slit windows and a big set of wooden double doors. It stood on a snowy cliff overlooking this big frosty forest on one side and the gray churning ocean on the other.

"Are you sure you don't want me to wait?" my mother asked.

"No, thanks, Mom," I said. "I don't know how long it will take. We'll be okay."

"But how will you get back? I'm worried, Percy."

I hoped I wasn't blushing. It was bad enough I had to depend on my mom to drive me to my battles.

"It's okay, Ms. Jackson." Annabeth smiled reassuringly. Her blond hair was tucked into a ski cap and her gray eyes were the same color as the ocean. "We'll keep him out of trouble."

My mom seemed to relax a little. She thinks Annabeth is the most level headed demigod ever to hit eighth grade. She's sure Annabeth often keeps me from getting killed. She's right, but that doesn't mean I have to like it.

"All right, dears," my mom said. "Do you have everything you need?"

"Yes, Ms. Jackson," Thalia said. "Thanks for the ride."

"Extra sweaters? You have my cell phone number?"

"Mom—"

"Your ambrosia and nectar, Percy? And a golden drachma in case you need to contact camp?"

"Mom, seriously! We'll be fine. Come on, guys."

She looked a little hurt, and I was sorry about that, but I was ready to be out of that car. If my mom told one more story about how cute I looked in the bathtub when I was three years old, I was going to burrow into the snow and freeze myself to death.

Annabeth and Thalia followed me outside. The wind blew straight through my coat like ice daggers.

Once my mother's car was out of sight, Thalia said, "Your mom is so cool, Percy."

"She's pretty okay," I admitted. "What about you? You ever get in touch with your mom?"

As soon as I said it, I wished I hadn't. Thalia was great at giving evil looks, what with the punk clothes she always wears—the ripped-up army jacket, black leather pants and chain jewelry, the black eyeliner and those intense blue eyes. But the look she gave me now was a perfect evil "ten."

"If that was any of your business, Percy—"

"We'd better get inside," Annabeth interrupted. "Grover will be waiting."

Thalia looked at the castle and shivered. "You're right. I wonder what he found here that made him send the distress call."

I stared up at the dark towers of Westover Hall. "Nothing good," I guessed.

The oak doors groaned open, and the three of us stepped into the entry hall in a swirl of snow.All I could say was, "Whoa."

The place was huge. The walls were lined with battle flags and weapon displays: antique rifles, battle axes, and a bunch of other stuff. I mean, I knew Westover was a military school and all, but the decorations seemed like overkill. Literally.

My hand went to my pocket, where I kept my lethal ballpoint pen, Riptide. I could already sense something wrong in this place. Something dangerous. Thalia was rubbing her silver bracelet, her favorite magic item. I knew we were thinking the same thing. A fight was coming.Annabeth started to say, "I wonder where—"

The doors slammed shut behind us.

"Oo-kay," I mumbled. "Guess we'll stay awhile."

I could hear music echoing from the other end of the hall. It sounded like dance music.We stashed our overnight bags behind a pillar and started down the hall. We hadn't gone very far when I heard footsteps on the stone floor, and a man and woman marched out of the shadows to intercept us.

They both had short gray hair and black military-style uniforms with red trim. The woman had a wispy mustache, and the guy was clean-shaven, which seemed kind of backward to me. They both walked stiffly, like they had broomsticks taped to their spines."Well?" the woman demanded. "What are you doing here?"

"Um..." I realized I hadn't planned for this. I'd been so focused on getting to Grover and finding out what was wrong, I hadn't considered that someone might question three kids sneaking into the school at night. We hadn't talked at all in the car about how we would get inside. I said, "Ma'am, we're just—"

"Ha!" the man snapped, which made me jump. "Visitors are not allowed at the dance! You shall be eee-jected!"

He had an accent—French, maybe. He pronounced his J like in Jacques, He was tall, with a hawkish face. His nostrils flared when he spoke, which made it really hard not to stare up his nose, and his eyes were two different colors—one brown, one blue—like an alley cat's.I figured he was about to toss us into the snow, but then Thalia stepped forward and did something very weird.

She snapped her fingers. The sound was sharp and loud. Maybe it was just my imagination, but I felt a gust of wind ripple out from her hand, across the room. It washed over all of us, making the banners rustle on the walls.

"Oh, but we're not visitors, sir," Thalia said. "We go to school here. You remember: I'm Thalia. And this is Annabeth and Percy. We're in the eighth grade."

The male teacher narrowed his two-colored eyes. I didn't know what Thalia was thinking. Now we'd probably get punished for lying and thrown into the snow. But the man seemed to be hesitating.

He looked at his colleague. "Ms. Gottschalk, do you know these students?"

Despite the danger we were in, I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing. A teacher named Got Chalk? He had to be kidding.

The woman blinked, like someone had just woken her up from a trance. "I... yes. I believe I do, sir." She frowned at us. "Annabeth. Thalia. Percy. What are you doing away from the gymnasium?"

Before we could answer, I heard more footsteps, and Grover ran up, breathless. "You made it! You—"

He stopped short when he saw the teachers. "Oh, Mrs. Gottschalk. Dr. Thorn! I, uh—"

"What is it, Mr. Underwood?" said the man. His tone made it clear that he detested Grover. "What do you mean, they made it? These students live here."

Grover swallowed. "Yes, sir. Of course, Dr. Thorn. I just meant, I'm so glad they made... the punch for the dance! The punch is great. And they made it!"

Dr. Thorn glared at us. I decided one of his eyes had to be fake. The brown one? The blue one? He looked like he wanted to pitch us off the castle's highest tower, but then Mrs. Gottschalk said dreamily, "Yes, the punch is excellent. Now run along, all of you. You are not to leave the gymnasium again!"

We didn't wait to be told twice. We left with a lot of "Yes, ma'ams" and "Yes, sirs" and a couple of salutes, just because it seemed like the thing to do.

Grover hustled us down the hall in the direction of the music.

I could feel the teachers' eyes on my back, but I walked closely to Thalia and asked in a low voice, "How did you do that finger-snap thing?"

"You mean the Mist? Hasn't Chiron shown you how to do that yet?"

An uncomfortable lump formed in my throat. Chiron was our head trainer at camp, but he'd never shown me anything like that. Why had he shown Thalia and not me? Grover hurried us to a door that had GYM written on the glass. Even with my dyslexia, I could read that much.

"That was close!" Grover said. "Thank the gods you got here!"

Annabeth and Thalia both hugged Grover. I gave him a big high five.

It was good to see him after so many months. He'd gotten a little taller and had sprouted a few more whiskers, but otherwise he looked like he always did when he passed for human—a red cap on his curly brown hair to hide his goat horns, baggy jeans and sneakers with fake feet to hide his furry legs and hooves. He was wearing a black T-shirt that took me a few seconds to read. It said WESTOVER HALL: GRUNT. I wasn't sure whether that was, like, Grover's rank or maybe just the school motto.

"So what's the emergency?" I asked.

Grover took a deep breath. "I found three."

"Three half-bloods?" Thalia asked, amazed. "Here?"

Grover nodded.

Finding one half-blood was rare enough. This year, Chiron had put the satyrs on emergency overtime and sent them all over the country, scouring schools from fourth grade through high school for possible recruits. These were desperate times. We were losing campers. We needed all the new fighters we could find. The problem was, there just weren't that many demigods out there.

"A brother, a sister, and their friend" he said. "They're ten and twelve. I don't know their parentage, but they're strong. I almost missed the friend, she has a, a blanket shielding her. We're running out of time, though. I need help."

"Monsters?"

One." Grover looked nervous. "He suspects. I don't think he's positive yet, but this is the last day of term. I'm sure he won't let them leave campus without finding out. It may be our last chance! Every time I try to get close to them, he's always there, blocking me. I don't know what to do!"

Grover looked at Thalia desperately. I tried not to feel upset by that. Used to be, Grover looked to me for answers, but Thalia had seniority. Not just because her dad was Zeus. Thalia had more experience than any of us with fending off monsters in the real world.

"Right," she said. "These half-bloods are at the dance?"

Grover nodded.

"Then let's dance," Thalia said. "Who's the monster?"

"Oh," Grover said, and looked around nervously. "You just met him. The vice principal, Dr. Thorn."

Weird thing about military schools: the kids go absolutely nuts when there's a special event and they get to be out of uniform. I guess it's because everything's so strict the rest of the time, they feel like they've got to overcompensate or something.

There were black and red balloons all over the gym floor, and guys were kicking them in each others faces, or trying to strangle each other with the crepe-paper streamers taped to the walls. Girls moved around in football huddles, the way they always do, wearing lots of makeup and spaghetti-strap tops and brightly colored pants and shoes that looked like torture devices. Every once in a while they'd surround some poor guy like a pack of piranhas, shrieking and giggling, and when they finally moved on, the guy would have ribbons in his hair and a bunch of lipstick graffiti all over his face. Some of the older guys looked more like me—uncomfortable, hanging out at the edges of the gym and trying to hide, like any minute they might have to fight for their lives.

Of course, in my case, it was true...


	3. 2 - OUR TEACHER TURNS INTO A MONSTER

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> meet the mc, and the story really starts here

~ _SAGE_ ~

(Sage's outfit for the dance🠗)

Lets just say the dance was not as fun as everyone made it out to be, even before Sage's teacher became a monster.

The students were allowed to dress out of uniform and everyone was excited about that fact, including Sage. The gym, where the dance was held, was decorated with red and black balloon that covered the floor that a group of boys were kicking at each other. There was the groups of girls that wore makeup and dressed in tank tops, colorful pants and shoes that looked like they would be painful to walk in. They would walk around in their huddles and surround a single poor guy and giggle like maniacs, when they walk away the guy would have ribbons in his hair and a face covered in lipstick.

Sage looked over at the walls that were covered with boys older than she was, trying to hide from the groups of giggling girls. Bianca, Nico and Sage were seated on the benches places off to the side, Bianca wore a floppy green cap, trying to hide her face. Nico was obviously her little brother. They both had dark silky hair and olive skin, and they used their hands a lot as they talked. The boy was shuffling some kind of trading cards, pointing and sharing some with the dark skinned girl around the same age of him seated next to him. His sister seemed to be scolding him about something. She kept looking around like she sensed something was wrong.

"Bianca I know you think something is gonna happen, and normally I would believe you, but maybe it's just the crowd? We all know you hate those so maybe it's just getting to you more than you realize." The curly haired child tried to reason with the older female. Bianca normally does this when she has a bad feeling and it almost always ends up being true but sometimes the noirette can get overwhelmed when in large groups and get the same feeling.

"No, I am telling you, something is gonna happen. I know it this time, I've been feeling this for the past few days. Especially right before that clover guy or whatever pops up. I don't know if he is the reason for the bad feeling or if he blocks what is but I don't trust anything right now."

"Sis," Nico speaks up "I think someone is looking at us, I don't like it."

"It's been happening since that Grover guy walked in with those new people, I wouldn't think too much of it, he has been having some obsession with us for the past week so I wouldn't worry. The person we should worry about is Dr. Thorn, he keeps trying to get closer to us then backs off just to try again." Sage speaks, before the other girl could, without looking up from the cards.

The other two glanced over to the group of four the same age as the oldest Di Angelo, The dark haired male in the group looking away when the siblings caught him looking at them. The oldest then turning her eyes over at the adult that seemed to be getting closer then narrowing them when she catches him flinching and turning around.

"Well we can't do anything until they try something, but maybe that's where the bad feeling is coming from, I mean both are acting really creepy right now." Bianca decided.

The trio hears someone clear their throat from behind them, they slowly turn around trying to hide their nerves as they see Dr. Thorn standing next to the benches where they sat, way closer than where he was only a few seconds ago sending looks at Grover and the strangers that were dancing nearby. Sage and Bianca share a look before answering the teacher.

"Dr. Thorn, what are you doing over here? I thought you were on hall duty with Ms.Gottschalk?" Nico asked the teacher, looking at his sister for what to do.

"Well there is something I wish to discuss with the three of you in private, if you would follow me." At that he turned and nodded his head towards the door to their left, glancing at the dark hair strangers that had met up with Grover, doing the same thing he had done when he first started the exchange.

The children hesindly rose from the bench and slowly followed the older male, Sage sending pleading looks towards Grover, the person that has been watching over them for a short time but for once his eyes weren't on the trio. The vice principal, seeing as they were walking too slow for his liking, grabbed Sage and Nico by the scruffs of their necks and pushed Bianca forward making her stumble and knocking off her green hat, the cards the ten year olds were playing with left forgotten on the bench.

Dr. Thorn's blue and brown eyes swept across the room before shutting the door and rushing the four of them down the dark hall, turning every so often that anyone looking for the missing children would have been lost, being familiar with the school or not.

Bianca tried to stop the man and turn around but Dr. thorn shoved her to the ground, resulting in a loud grunt escaping her lips. He produced a sound from deep in his throat that sounded like a growl, his eyes seemingly glowing in the low lights. Something growing from the back of him, it was long and from what Sage could see, had a very sharp tip.

"Listen here you little brats," he growled at the scared minors. "I've tried to be nice but now I'm done with your opposition, you will follow me and you will be quiet about it."

He looked like he was going to continue when the group heard a noise coming from behind them, the adult curses and glares at the others. He puts a finger to his thin lips and slips into the shadows, vanishing from the children's eyes. Bianca quickly stands up and puts her arms around the younger children, all looking frightened in the direction they heard the noise come from still feeling the creature's eyes on them.

The boy from before stood at the opposite end of the hallway they were in, he was carrying something long but Sage couldn't see what it was from the distance they were at. The boy advanced slowly, lowering the tip of whatever he was holding.

"It's okay. I'm not going to hurt you." He calls out to the huddled up children, eyes shifting around with a confused look. "My names Percy, I'm going to take you out of here, get you somewhere safe."

Eyes trained on the last spot they saw the beast of a man, Sage slightly shook her head at the boy while Bianca widened her eyes and clenched her fist in a silent warning and Nico let out a small whimper that only the two could hear.

"Percy" spun around and got hit with something in his shoulder. Something shot out from behind him and slammed him into a wall. A cold laugh echoed through the hall.

"Yes, Perseus Jackson" Dr. Thorn said. His accent mangled the J in his last name. "I know who you are."

Percy struggled to free his shoulder, his coat and shirt were pinned to the wall by some kind of spike—a black dagger-like projectile about a foot long. A dark silhouette now moved toward us. Dr. Thorn stepped into the dim light. He still looked human, but his face was ghoulish. He had perfect white teeth and his brown/blue eyes reflected the light of the metal object the boy was holding, that scaringly looked like a sword. 

"Thank you for coming out of the gym," he said. "I hate middle school dances."

Percy tried to swing his sword-looking-thing again, but he was just out of reach.

WHIIIISH! A second projectile shot from somewhere behind Dr. Thorn. He didn't appear to move. It was as if someone invisible were standing behind him, throwing knives. Sage and Bianca yelped. The second thorn impaled itself in the stone wall, half an inch from their faces.

"All four of you will come with me," Dr. Thorn said. "Quietly. Obediently. If you make a single noise, if you call out for help or try to fight, I will show you just how accurately I can throw."


	4. 3 - WHAT IS GOING ON

Percy closed his eyes and slowed his walking, Thorn narrowed his eyes at the boy and glared at him. 

"What are you doing, Jackson?" hissed Dr. Thorn. "Keep moving!"

He opened his eyes and kept shuffling forward. "It's my shoulder," he said, sound miserable. "It burns."

"Bah! My poison causes pain. It will not kill you. Walk!"

\--------------------------------------------------------------------------

Thorn herded us outside, he marched us into the woods. We took a snowy path dimly lit by old-fashioned lamplights, the wind blowing through their clothes was so cold that Sage felt like a icicle. 

"There is a clearing ahead," Thorn said. "We will summon your ride."

"What ride?" Bianca demanded. "Where are you taking us?"

"Silence, you insufferable girl!"

"Don't talk to my sister that way.'" Nico said. His voice quivered, but Sage was impressed that he had the guts to say anything at all.

Dr. Thorn made the same growling sound as before, a sound that Sage recognized that definitely wasn't human. It made the hairs stand up on the back of her neck, but she forced herself to keep walking and pretend she was being a good little captive.

"Halt," Thorn said.

The woods had opened up. The group reached a cliff overlooking the sea. At least, Sage thought the sea was down there, hundreds of feet below. She could hear the waves churning and she could smell the cold salty froth. But all the curly haired girl could see was mist and darkness.

Dr. Thorn pushed us toward the edge. Percy stumbled, and Bianca caught him.

"Thanks," he murmured.

"What is he?" she whispered. "How do we fight him?"

"I... I'm working on it."

"I'm scared," Nico mumbled. He was fiddling with something—a little metal toy soldier of some kind.

"Stop talking!" Dr. Thorn said. "Face me!"

They turned, Thorn's two-tone eyes glittered hungrily. He pulled something from under his coat. At first Sage thought it was a switchblade, but it was only a phone. 

He pressed the side button and said, "The package—it is ready to deliver."

There was a garbled reply, and she realized Thorn was in walkie-talkie mode. This seemed way too modern and creepy—a monster using a mobile phone.

Sage saw percy glance behind him, as if wondering how far the drop was.

Dr. Thorn laughed. "By all means, Son of Poseidon. Jump! There is the sea. Save yourself."

"What did he call you?" Sage muttered.

"I'll explain later," he said.

"You do have a plan, right?"

"I would kill you before you ever reached the water," Dr. Thorn said, as if reading his thoughts. "You do not realize who I am, do you?"

A flicker of movement behind him, and another missile whistled so close to Percy that it nicked his ear. The same thing had sprung up behind Dr. Thorn—like a catapult, but more flexible... almost like a tail.

"Unfortunately," Thorn said, "you are wanted alive, if possible. Otherwise you would already be dead."

"Who wants us?" Bianca demanded. "Because if you think you'll get a ransom, you're wrong. We don't have any family. Nico, Sage and I..." Her voice broke a little. "We've got no one but each other."

"Aww," Dr. Thorn said. "Do not worry, little brats. You will be meeting my employer soon enough. Then you will have a brand-new family."

"Luke," Percy said, his eyes flaring in anger. "You work for Luke."

Dr. Thorn's mouth twisted with distaste when Percy said that name. "You have no idea what is happening, Perseus Jackson. I will let the General enlighten you. You are going to do him a great service tonight. He is looking forward to meeting you."

"The General?" Percy asked, at first in the same stupid french accent as Thorn. "I mean... who's the General?"

Thorn looked toward the horizon. "Ah, here we are. Your transportation."

Sage turned and saw a light in the distance, a searchlight over the sea. Then she heard the chopping of helicopter blades getting louder and closer.

"Where are you taking us?" Nico said. His left hand latching onto Sage's right hand, holding it tightly.

"You should be honored, my boy. You will have the opportunity to join a great army! Just like that silly game you play with cards and dolls."

Sage glared at the monster, "They're not dolls! They're figurines! And you can take your great army and—"

"Now, now," Dr. Thorn warned. "You will change your mind about joining us, little girl. And if you do not, well... there are other uses for half-bloods. We have many monstrous mouths to feed. The Great Stirring is underway.

"The great what?" Percy asked next to Bianca. 

"The stirring of monsters." Dr. Thorn smiled evilly. "The worst of them, the most powerful, are now waking. Monsters that have not been seen in thousands of years. They will cause death and destruction the likes of which mortals have never known. And soon we shall have the most important monster of all—the one that shall bring about the downfall of Olympus!"

"Okay," Bianca whispered to Percy. "He's completely nuts."

"We have to jump off the cliff," he told her quietly. "Into the sea."

"Oh, super idea. You're completely nuts, too." Sage rolled her eyes at the older boy.

Suddenly an invisible force knocked Sage and the other children over, surprising Dr. Thorn and making his first wave of missiles fly over their heads. Grover and dark haired female from before come up from behind him with a shield with Medusa's face on it. 

Dr. Thorn winced and growled when he saw it.

'I mean,' Sage thought to herself. 'Who wouldn't? it's literally a copy of Aegis, the shield of zeus. it almost has the same properties of the real Medusa as it can paralyze its wielders foes in fear.'

The girl moved in with her spear. "For Zeus!"

Sage thought Dr. Thorn was a goner. The girl jabbed at his head, but he snarled and swatted the spear aside. His hand changed into an orange paw, with enormous claws that sparked against her shield as he slashed. If it hadn't been for the shield, the girl would've been sliced like a loaf of bread. As it was, she managed to roll backward and land on her feet.

The sound of the helicopter was getting louder behind Sage, but she didn't dare look. The fight in front of her was like every other she has read about in her history and mythology books. 

Dr. Thorn launched another volley of missiles at the girl, and this time Sage could see how he did it. He had a tail—a leathery, scorpion like tail that bristled with spikes at the tip. The missiles deflected off the Aegis-lookalike, but the force of their impact knocked the older noirette down.

Grover sprang forward. He put his reed pipes to his lips and began to play—a frantic jig that sounded like something pirates would dance to. Grass broke through the snow. Within seconds, rope-thick weeds were wrapping around Dr. Thorn's legs, entangling him.

Dr. Thorn roared and began to change. He grew larger until he was in his true form—his face still human, but his body that of a huge lion. His leathery, spiky tail whipped deadly thorns in all directions.

"A manticore!" Sage and the now visible blonde shouted at the same time, sending each other questioning looks wondering how the other knew that. 

"Who are you people?" Bianca di Angelo demanded. "And what is that?"

The manticore clawed Grover's magic weeds to shreds then turned toward us with a snarl.He raised his tail as the blonde knocked teh Di Angelo's and Sage into the snow, Sage's pretty white floral dress ruined with mud and snow. 

Not a second later a loud sound rang out into the clearing, like metal on metal. Sage looked up to see Percy with a once beautiful shield, now dented and almost destroyed. She saw Grover get hit with the monster's tail and near Percy. 

"Yield!" the monster roared.

"Never!" The dark haired girl yelled from across the field. She charged the monster, and for a second, Sage thought she would run him through. But then there was a thunderous noise and a blaze of light from behind us. The helicopter appeared out of the mist, hovering just beyond the cliffs. It was a sleek black military-style gunship, with attachments on the sides that looked like laser-guided rockets. The helicopter had to be manned by people, but what was it doing here? How could humans be working with a monster? The searchlights blinded the goth, and the manticore swatted her away with its tail. Her shield flew off into the snow and her spear flew in the other direction.

"No!" Percy ran out to help her. He parried away a spike just before it would've hit her chest. He raised his shield over the two, but Sage and Percy both knew it wouldn't be enough.

Dr. Thorn laughed. "Now do you see how hopeless it is? Yield, little heroes."

They were trapped between a monster and a fully armed helicopter, they had no chance.

Then Sage heard a clear, piercing sound: the call of a hunting horn blowing in the woods.

The manticore froze. For a moment, no one moved. There was only the swirl of snow and wind and the chopping of the helicopter blades.

"No," Dr. Thorn said. "It cannot be—"

His sentence was cut short when something shot past Percy like a streak of moonlight. A glowing silver arrow sprouted from Dr. Thorn's shoulder.

He staggered backward, wailing in agony.

"Curse you!" Thorn cried. He unleashed his spikes, dozens of them at once, into the woods where the arrow had come from, but just as fast, silvery arrows shot back in reply. It almost looked like the arrows had intercepted the thorns in midair and sliced them in two, but Sage's eyes must've been playing tricks on her. No one could shoot with that much accuracy.

The manticore pulled the arrow out of his shoulder with a howl of pain. His breathing was heavy. Percy tried to swipe at him with his sword, but he wasn't as injured as he looked. He dodged his attack and slammed his tail into his shield, knocking him aside.

Then the archers came from the woods. They were girls, about a dozen of them. The youngest was maybe ten, like Sage and Nico. The oldest, about fourteen, like Percy and Grover. They wore silvery ski parkas and jeans, and they were all armed with bows. They advanced on the manticore with determined expressions.


	5. 4 - IT'S ALL REAL

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Meeting the goddess

"The Hunters!" The blonde cried.

Next to Percy, The girl muttered, "Oh, wonderful."

Sage didn't have the chance to ask what she meant, or even what her name was. 

One of the older archers stepped forward with her bow drawn. She was tall and graceful with coppery colored skin. Unlike the other girls, she had a silver circlet braided into the top of her long dark hair, so she looked like some kind of Persian princess. "Permission to kill, my lady?"

Sage couldn't tell who she was talking to, because she kept her eyes on the manticore.

The monster wailed. "This is not fair! Direct interference! It is against the Ancient Laws."

"Not so," another girl said. This one was a little older than Sage, maybe twelve or thirteen. She had auburn hair gathered back in a ponytail and strange eyes, silvery yellow like the moon. Her face was so beautiful it made Sage catch her breath, but her expression was stern and dangerous. "The hunting of all wild beasts is within my sphere. And you, foul creature, are a wild beast." She looked at the older girl with the circlet. "Zoe, permission granted."

The manticore growled. "If I cannot have these alive, I shall have them dead!"

He lunged at Percy and his friend, knowing they were weak and dazed.

"No.'" The blonde yelled, and she charged at the monster.

"Get back, half-blood!" the girl with the circlet said. "Get out of the line of fire!"

But the girl leaped onto the monster's back and drove her knife into his mane. The manticore howled, turning in circles with his tail flailing as the blonde hung on for dear life.

"Fire!" Zoe ordered.

"No!" Percy screamed.

But the Hunters let their arrows fly. The first caught the manticore in the neck. Another hit his chest. The manticore staggered backward, wailing, "This is not the end, Huntress! You shall pay!"

And before anyone could react, the monster, with the girl still on his back, leaped over the cliff and tumbled into the darkness.

"Annabeth!" Percy yelled, starting to run over to where they fell but the bad guys weren't done with them yet.

There was a snap-snap-snap from the helicopter—the sound of gunfire. Most of the hunters scattered as tiny holes appeared in the snow at their feet, but the girl with auburn hair just looked up calmly at the helicopter.

"Mortals," she announced, "are not allowed to witness my hunt."

She thrust out her hand, and the helicopter exploded into dust—no, not dust. The black metal dissolved into a flock of birds—ravens, which scattered into the night.

The Hunters advanced on the other group.

The one called Zoe stopped short when she saw the gothic teen. "You," she said with distaste.

"Zoe Nightshade." The girl's voice trembled with anger. "Perfect timing, as usual."

Zoe scanned the rest of us. "Five half-bloods and a satyr, my lady."

"Yes," the younger girl said. "Some of Chiron's campers, I see."

'Wait? Chiron as in the legendary hero trainer Chiron? Like the centaur son of Kronos, trainer of hercules, that one?' Sage thought with a look of awe on her face, looking at percy and his friend.

"Annabeth!" Percy yelled. "You have to let us save her!"

The auburn-haired girl turned toward the boy. "I'm sorry, Percy Jackson, but your friend is beyond help."

Percy tried to struggle to his feet, but a couple of the girls held him down.

"You are in no condition to be hurling yourself off cliffs," the auburn-haired girl said, Sage sending both of them weird looks.

"Why would anyone hurl themselves off a cliff in any condition?" Sage asked herself, Percy's friend, who Sage still didn't know the name of, heard the comment and snorted sending a look like she wondered the same thing. 

"Let me go!" Percy demanded. "Who do you think you are?"

Zoe stepped forward as if to smack him.

"No," the other girl ordered. "I sense no disrespect, Zoe. He is simply distraught. He does not understand."

The young girl looked at him, her eyes colder and brighter than the winter moon. "I am Artemis," she said. "Goddess of the Hunt."

After seeing Dr. Thorn turn into a monster and plummet off the edge of a cliff with Annabeth, you'd think nothing else could shock Sage. But when this twelve-year-old girl told them she was the goddess Artemis, all Percy could say was "Um... okay."

That was nothing compared to Grover. He gasped, then knelt hastily in the snow and started yammering, "Thank you, Lady Artemis! You're so... you're so... Wow!"

All Sage could do was stare at the goddess with a look of awe, mouth open with stars in her eyes going over every thing she knew of her second favorite goddess, unknowingly mumblign out loud to those close to her. 

"Artemis, the goddess of wild animals, the hunt, vegetation and of chastity and childbirth, daughter of Zeus, the king of the universe and god of the sky, oldest of the big three and slayer of their father Kronos king of the universe and the titan Leto, twin of Apollo the god of music, poetry, art, prophecy, truth, archery, plague, healing, sun and light. Hera, the queen of olympus and wife of Zeus cursed Leto that no place connected to the earth would help her, when Leto reached the isle of Delos, the nymphs ignored Heras warning as they were not connected to the earth at this point and allowed a safe spot for the titan to give birth to her children. Artemis came first and seeing as she was a goddess she was almost full formed and helped her mother and the nymphs give birth to her twin brother as she was the goddess of childbirth. When he came out, Apollo started singing and told the titan and the nymphs that he was the god of music. In retaliation of disobeying her, Hera cursed the isle of Delos to say rooted to one place for the rest of eternity. She is known to drive her moon chariot across the sky while her twin is known for his chariot of sun. Sworn to maidenhood when the gods were fighting as to who's bride she would be, Athena and Hestia taking the same oath as her. The only one male was known to join her hunt was Orion, the giant son of Gaea and Tartarus, born to replace the twins after they defeated her children the titans. He betrayed her causing her to cast him out of the hunt and slay him with the rest of her hunters, but seeing as he was the closest one to make her fall in love she sent a part of him into the sky as a constellation to forever remind her to never make the same mistake."

The dark hair friend of Percy sent her a weird look and Bianca nudging her, silently telling her that she was doing it again. Sage had the tendency go on and on once she starts before she even relizes what she is doing. 

"oops, sorry," Sage blushed. "I don't even realize I'm doing it half the time."

"Get up, goat boy!" The girl snapped, ignoring Sage's apology . "We have other things to worry about. Annabeth is gone!"

"Whoa," Bianca di Angelo said. "Hold up. Time out."

Everybody looked at her. She pointed her finger at the others in turn, like she was trying to connect the dots. "Who... who are you people?"

Artemis's expression softened."It might be a better question, my dear girl, to ask who are you! Who are your parents?"

Bianca glanced nervously at her brother and their friend, both who was still staring in awe at Artemis.

Our parents are dead," Bianca said. "We're orphans. There's a bank trust that pays for our school, but..."

Sage spoke up next, "My father and step-mother didn't have anywhere else to send me, appernely I got kicked out of too many schools so no other place would accept me this year."

Bianca faltered. Sage guesses she could tell from the others faces that they didn't believe her.

"What?" she demanded. "I'm telling the truth."

"You are a half-blood," Zoe Nightshade said. Her accent was hard to place. It sounded old-fashioned, like she was reading from a really old book. "One of thy parents was mortal. The other was an Olympian."

She turned to Sage next. " I'm guessing that your mother was a one if you have a step-mother."

"An Olympian... athlete?" Bianca questioned.

"No," Zoe said. "One of the gods."

"Cool!" said Nico.

"No!" Bianca's voice quavered. "This is not cool!"

Nico danced around like he needed to use the restroom. "Does Zeus really have lightning bolts that do six hundred damage? Does he get extra movement points for—"

"Did Hera really get tricked by Zeus into being his bride? Did she really throw Hephaestus off of olympus cause she was embarrassed by him? Was Aphrodite really made from Sea foam and the blood of Ouranos after the titans dumped his body into the ocean after Kronos cut him up with his scythe?" Sage's eyes lit up as she questioned the, now known, goddess and demigods. 

Nico, Sage, shut up!" Bianca put her hands to her face. "This is not your stupid Mythomagic game, okay? Nor is it your dumb mythology books! There are no gods!"

"Bianca, I know it's hard to believe. But the gods are still around. Trust me. They're immortal. And whenever they have kids with regular humans, kids like us, well... Our lives are dangerous." Percy's friend said gently, like she was talking to small children.

"Dangerous," Bianca said in response, "like the girl who fell."

The girl turned away. Even Artemis looked pained. Sage nudged her this time, she went to far with that.

"Do not despair for Annabeth," the goddess said. "She was a brave maiden. If she can be found, I shall find her."

Then why won't you let us go look for her?" Percy asked.

"She is gone. Can't you sense it, Son of Poseidon? Some magic is at work. I do not know exactly how or why, but your friend has vanished."

Percy still looked like he wanted to jump though, but Sage knew the goddess was right. If the girl was down there she would be the first one to know and tell the rest of them, the immortal had no reason to lie.

"Oo!" Nico raised his hand. "What about Dr. Thorn? That was awesome how you shot him with arrows! Is he dead?"

"He was a manticore," Artemis said. "Hopefully he is destroyed for now, but monsters never truly die. They re-form over and over again, and they must be hunted whenever they reappear."

"Or they'll hunt us," Thalia said.

Bianca di Angelo shivered. "That explains... Nico, you remember last summer, those guys who tried to attack us in the alley in DC?"

"And that bus driver," Nico said. "The one with the ram's horns. I told you that was real."

"I knew there was a girl that came out of the tree that one time, my step-mother just sent me to a mental hospital for a month went I tried to tell her about her." Sage spoke up beside the pair. 

"That's why Grover has been watching you," Percy said. "To keep you safe, if you turned out to be half-bloods."

"Grover?" Bianca stared at him. "You're a demigod?"

"Actually my guess is satyr, they are protectors right?" Sage asked looking at the older demigods. 

Well, yeah, actually." He kicked off his shoes and displayed his goat hooves. Sage thought Bianca was going to faint right there.

"Grover, put your shoes back on," Thalia said. "You're freaking her out."

"Hey, my hooves are clean!" Sage giggled at the two's banter. 

"Bianca," Percy said, "we came here to help you. You, Sage and Nico need training to survive. Dr. Thorn won't be the last monster you meet. You need to come to camp."

"Camp?" Sage asked.

"Camp Half-Blood," Percy said. "It's where half-bloods learn to survive and stuff. You can join us, stay there year-round if you like."

"Sweet, let's go!" said Nico and Sage nodded along.

"Wait," Bianca shook her head. "I don't—"

"There is another option," Zoe said.


	6. 5 - She's leaving us?

"No, there isn't!" Thalia said.

Thalia and Zoe glared at each other. Sage didn't know what they were talking about, but she could tell there was bad history between them. For some reason, they seriously hated each other.

"We've burdened these children enough," Artemis announced. "Zoe, we will rest here for a few hours. Raise the tents. Treat the wounded. Retrieve our guests' belongings from the school."

"Yes, my lady."

"And, Bianca, come with me. I would like to speak with you."

"What about us?" Nico asked.

Artemis considered the boy. "Perhaps you two can show Grover how to play that card game you enjoy. I'm sure Grover would be happy to entertain you for a while... as a favor to me?"

Grover just about tripped over himself getting up. "You bet! Come on, Nico, Sage!"

Sage, Nico and Grover walked off toward the woods, talking about hit points and armor ratings and a bunch of other geeky stuff. Artemis led a confused-looking Bianca along the cliff. The Hunters began unpacking their knapsacks and making camp.

\---------------------------------------------------------------------

Sage, Grover and Nico came back from their walk and Grover started to help Percy with his arm.

"It's green!" Nico said with delight. Sage nudged his arm with a grossed out look on her face.

"Hold still," Grover told me. "Here, eat some ambrosia while I clean that out."

"Isn't ambrosia the food of the gods? Doesn't it burn people up if they aren't immortal if they eat it? How can you eat it then?" Sage asked trying to know more about the world she just entered.

"Since you guys are half-bloods, you are part god so you guys can eat and small amount without the whole burning up thing, same with ectar. It helps heal demigods quickly." Grover explained to the curious girl, smiling at her wide eye look. Percy nodded then winced as he dressed the wound, looking a lot more relaxed once he ate the small square of what Grover called ambrosia. 

Nico rummaged through his own bag, which the Hunters had apparently packed for him, though how they'd snuck into Westover Hall unseen, Sage didn't know but she got hers too, in it most of her floral dresses and her mythology books. Nico laid out a bunch of figurines in the snow—little battle replicas of Greek gods and heroes. She recognized Zeus with a lightning bolt, Ares with a spear, Apollo with his sun chariot.

"Big collection," Percy said.

Nico grinned. "I've got almost all of them, plus their holographic cards! Well, except for a few really rare ones."

"You've been playing this game a long time?"

"Just this year. Before that..." He knit his eyebrows.

"What?" Percy asked.

"I forget. That's weird."

He looked unsettled, but it didn't last long as Sage asked. "Hey, can I see that sword you were using?"

Percy showed them Riptide, and explained how it turned from a pen into a sword just by uncapping it.

"Cool! Does it ever run out of ink?" Nico questioned. 

"Um, well, I don't actually write with it." Percy looked slightly uncomfortable but that didn't deter the children.

"Are you really the son of Poseidon?" Sage started.

"Well, yeah."

Nico had the next question, "Can you surf really well, then?"

Percy look like he was trying not to laugh, he turned to Grover then looked back the the ten year olds. 

"Jeez, Nico," he said. "I've never really tried."

Nico and Sage went on asking questions. Did Percy fight a lot with Thalia, since she was a daughter of Zeus? (He didn't answer that one.) If Annabeth's mother was Athena, the goddess of wisdom, then why didn't Annabeth know better than to fall off a cliff? (Percy looked like he tried not to strangle Nico for asking that one.) Was Annabeth his girlfriend? (At this point, Sage thought Percy was ready to stick the kid in a meat-flavored sack and throw him to the wolves.)

Nico was about to ask another question when Zoe came up the the group.

"Percy Jackson."

She had dark brown eyes and a slightly upturned nose. With her silver circlet and her proud expression, she looked so much like royalty that Sage had to resist the urge to sit up straight and say "Yes, ma'am." She studied Percy distastefully, like he was a bag of dirty laundry she'd been sent to fetch.

"Come with me," she said. "Lady Artemis wishes to speak with thee."

As the two of them left Grover looked at me, " Hey Sage, how do you know so much about all this, I mean you knew about the manticore and I heard you ramble about Lady Artemis before?"

"oh right! You only started stalking us this week, so you wouldn't know. I've have an obsession with greek mythology almost all my life, as soon as I could read and understand my father handed me a book and told me I would enjoy it. It was all about the gods and how some of them came to be. It had the story of Artemis and Apollo, it had Hermes and Dionysus. It told how Athena popped out of Zeus's head and what happened with Aphrodite before she met the other gods. how Persephone was born and how she met Hades. It told the tales of Titans before the Gods ruled and how Zeus became the king. After that book, I would ask for more and more. Tales of the heroic children of the Gods and their mighty feats, it just amazed me how they could do anything. I wanted to be like that so I thought that if I learned all I could, someday I could do something just as great as the heroes and Gods I admired." 

"One, I didn't stalk you guys, I was watching for Dr.Thorn to keep you guys safe. And two, welcome to the world of the Gods, knowing it you probably will do something that will go down in history. Our lives are messed up, when Percy was 11, just got to camp and barely knew anything, he had to retrieve Zeus's master bolt. We almost died all the time, we face tons of monsters all while being chased by the kindly ones and a god."

Grover looked like he was going to continue when Percy, Bianca and Zoe start walking over to where we sit. Sage realizes that it is almost morning and that the sun will be up soon. 

Zoe spoke up, "Come along, it's time we head your silly camp."

Artemis assured the group that dawn was coming, but you could've fooled Sage. It was colder and darker and snowier than ever. Up on the hill, Westover Hall's windows were completely lightless. She wondered if the teachers had even noticed the di Angelos, Sage and Dr. Thorn were missing yet. She didn't want to be around when they did.

The Hunters broke camp as quickly as they'd set it up. Sage stood shivering in the snow (unlike the Hunters, who didn't seem to feel at all uncomfortable), and Artemis stared into the east like she was expecting something. 

Bianca sat off to one side, talking with Nico and Sage. Sage couldn't help thinking how selfish it was of her, abandoning her brother like that. to abandon her like that, as they were basically family at that point

Finally the sky began to lighten. Artemis muttered, "About time. He's so-o-o lazy during the winter."

"You're, um, waiting for sunrise?" Percy asked.

"For my brother. Yes."

"It's not exactly as you think," Artemis said to Percy, like she was reading his mind and answering his thoughts.

"Oh, okay." Percy looked like he started to relax. "So, it's not like he'll be pulling up in a—"

There was a sudden burst of light on the horizon. A blast of warmth.

"Don't look," Artemis advised. "Not until he parks."

Sage averted her eyes, and saw that the other kids were doing the same. The light and warmth intensified until her winter coat felt like it was melting off of her. Then suddenly the light died.

Sage looked. And couldn't believe what she saw. A red convertible Maserati Spyder. It looked like it glowed. Then she realized it was glowing because the metal was hot. The snow had melted around the Maserati in a perfect circle, which explained why saw was now standing on green grass and her shoes were wet.

The driver got out, smiling. He looked about seventeen or eighteen,This guy had the sandy hair and outdoorsy good looks.This guy was tall, with no scar on his body. His smile was bright and playful. The Maserati driver wore jeans and loafers and a sleeveless T-shirt.

Wow," Thalia muttered. "Apollo is hot." Sage soundlessly nodded her head in agreement, then shook it like that might get rid of those thoughts. 

"He's the sun god," Percy deadpanned.

"Doubt that's what she meant Percy." Sage whispered to him.

"Little sister!" Apollo called. If his teeth were any whiter he could've blinded us without the sun car. "What's up? You never call. You never write. I was getting worried!"

Artemis sighed. "I'm fine, Apollo. And I am not your little sister."

"Hey, I was born first."

"We're twins! How many millennia do we have to argue—"

"So what's up?" he interrupted. "Got the girls with you, I see. You all need some tips on archery?"

Artemis grit her teeth. "I need a favor. I have some hunting to do, alone. I need you to take my companions to Camp Half-Blood."

"Sure, sis!" Then he raised his hands in a stop everything gesture. "I feel a haiku coming on."

The Hunters all groaned. Apparently they'd met Apollo before.

He cleared his throat and held up one hand dramatically.

"Green grass breaks through the snow.

Artemis pleads for my help.

I am so cool."

He grinned at us, waiting for applause.

"That last line was only four syllables," Artemis said.

Apollo frowned. "Was it?"

"Yes. What about I am so big-headed?"

"No, no, that's six syllables. Hmm." He started muttering to himself.

Zoe Nightshade turned to us. "Lord Apollo has been going through this haiku phase ever since he visited Japan. 'Tis not as bad as the time he visited Limerick. If I'd had to hear one more poem that started with, There once was a goddess from Sparta—"

"I've got it!" Apollo announced. "I am so awesome. That's five syllables!" He bowed, looking very pleased with himself. 

"And now, sis. Transportation for the Hunters, you say? Good timing. I was just about ready to roll.""


	7. 6 - I don't think she's got this

"These demigods will also need a ride," Artemis said, pointing to the non-hunters. "Some of Chiron's campers."

"No problem!" Apollo checked us out. "Let's see... Thalia, right? I've heard all about you."

Thalia blushed. "Hi, Lord Apollo."

"Zeus's girl, yes? Makes you my half sister. Used to be a tree, didn't you? Glad you're back. I hate it when pretty girls turn into trees. Man, I remember one time—"

"Brother," Artemis said. "You should get going."

"Oh, right." Then he looked at me, and his eyes narrowed. "Percy Jackson?"

"Yeah. I mean... yes, sir."

Apollo studied him, but he didn't say anything, which Sage found a little creepy.

"Well!" he said at last. "We'd better load up, huh? Ride only goes one way—west. And if you miss it, you miss it."

'Does he know something about Percy?" Sage thought narrowing her eyes at the blonde god, 'I mean no one, not even gods, would call out someone by name just to continue on like nothing happened. Especially the god of prophecy, seem strange...'

"Cool car," Nico said.

"Thanks, kid," Apollo said, a gorgeous smile lighting up on his face. Sage heard Thaila make a small noise and blush as she looks away. 

"But how will we all fit?" Sage wondered. "I mean it seats two, there is about twenty of us."

"Oh." Apollo seemed to notice the problem for the first time. "Well, yeah. I hate to change out of sports-car mode, but I suppose..."

He took out his car keys and beeped the security alarm button. For a moment, the car glowed brightly again. When the glare died, the Maserati had been replaced by one of those Turtle Top shuttle buses like Sage saw used for school basketball games.

"Right," he said. "Everybody in."

Zoe ordered the Hunters to start loading. She picked up her camping pack, and Apollo said, "Here, sweetheart. Let me get that."

Zoe recoiled. Her eyes flashed murderously, Sage flinched and glanced at her cautiously. 

"Brother," Artemis chided. "You do not help my Hunters. You do not look at, talk to, or flirt with my Hunters. And you do not call them sweetheart."

Apollo put his hands up in surrender. "Sorry. I forgot. Hey, sis, where are you off to, anyway?"

"Hunting," Artemis said. "It's none of your business."

"I'll find out. I see all. Know all."

Artemis snorted. "Just drop them off, Apollo. And no messing around!"

"No, no! I never mess around." But the twinkle in the Sun God's eye told a different story to Sage.

Artemis rolled her eyes, then looked at us. "I will see you by winter solstice. Zoe, you are in charge of the Hunters. Do well. Do as I would do."

Zoe straightened. "Yes, my lady."

Artemis knelt and touched the ground as if looking for tracks. When she rose, she looked troubled. "So much danger. The beast must be found."

She sprinted toward the woods and melted into the snow and shadows.

"She's so cool." Sage fawned over the absent goddess to the Di Angelo boy next to her.

Apollo turned and grinned, jangling the car keys on his finger. "So," he said. "Who wants to drive?"

The Hunters piled into the van. They all crammed into the back so they'd be as far away as possible from Apollo and the rest of the highly infectious males, Bianca sat with them, leaving her little brother to hang in the front with Sage, which seemed cold to her, but Nico didn't seem to mind as he had Sage.

"This is so cool!" Sage said, jumping up and down in the driver's seat. "Is this really the sun? I thought Helios and Selene were the sun and moon gods. How come sometimes it's them and sometimes it's you and Artemis?"

"Downsizing," Apollo said. "The Romans started it. They couldn't afford all those temple sacrifices, so they laid off Helios and Selene and folded their duties into our job descriptions. My sis got the moon. I got the sun. It was pretty annoying at first, but at least I got this cool car."

"But how does it work?" Nico asked. "I thought the sun was a big fiery ball of gas!"

Apollo chuckled and ruffled the children's hair. "That rumor probably got started because Artemis used to call me a big fiery ball of gas. Seriously, kid, it depends on whether you're talking astronomy or philosophy. You want to talk astronomy? Bah, what fun is that? You want to talk about how humans think about the sun? Ah, now that's more interesting. They've got a lot riding on the sun... er, so to speak. It keeps them warm, grows their crops, powers engines, makes everything look, well, sunnier. This chariot is built out of human dreams about the sun, kid. It's as old as Western Civilization. Every day, it drives across the sky from east to west, lighting up all those puny little mortal lives. The chariot is a manifestation of the sun's power, the way mortals perceive it. Make sense?"

Nico shook his head. "No."

"Yea" said Sage next to the boy, Apollo sending the younger girl a grin making the girl light up.

"Well then, just think of it as a really powerful, really dangerous solar car." He said to Nico.

"Can I drive?" The two children questioned at the same time.

"No. Too young." But to Sage he added, "But in a few years, if you need a ride, sure."

Sage smiled and looked at Nico, shaking with excitement at the possibility.

"Oo! Oo!" Grover raised his hand.

"Mm, no," Apollo grimace. "Too furry." He looked past Percy and focused on Thalia.

"Daughter of Zeus!" he said. "Lord of the sky. Perfect."

"Oh, no." Thalia shook her head. "No, thanks."

"C'mon," Apollo said. "How old are you?"

Thalia hesitated. "I don't know."

Apollo tapped his finger to his lips. "You're fifteen, almost sixteen."

"How do you know that?"

"Hey, I'm the god of prophecy. I know stuff. You'll turn sixteen in about a week."

"That's my birthday! December twenty-second."

"Which means you're old enough now to drive with a learner's permit!"

Thalia shifted her feet nervously. "Uh—"

"I know what you're going to say," Apollo said. "You don't deserve an honor like driving the sun chariot."

"That's not what I was going to say."

"Don't sweat it! Maine to Long Island is a really short trip, and don't worry about what happened to the last kid I trained. You're Zeus's daughter. He's not going to blast you out of the sky."

Apollo laughed good-naturedly. The rest of them didn't join him.

Thalia tried to protest, but Apollo was absolutely not going to take "no" for an answer. He hit a button on the dashboard, and a sign popped up along the top of the windshield. Sage had to read it backward (which, for a dyslexic, really isn't that different than reading forward). She was pretty sure it said WARNING: STUDENT DRIVER.

Take it away!" Apollo told Thalia. "You're gonna be a natural!"

"Speed equals heat," Apollo advised. "So start slowly, and make sure you've got good altitude before you really open her up."

Thalia gripped the wheel so tight her knuckles turned white. She looked like she was going to be sick. Sage was in the same boat, gripping onto the back of the seat in front of her, her eyes glued shut. She had a very bad feeling about this ride if the daughter of Zeus's reaction was anything to go by. 

"What's wrong?" Percy asked the girl in the driver's seat.

"Nothing," she said shakily. "N-nothing is wrong."

Behind the two Sage scoffed, "It doesn't seem like nothing to me, your nerves are making me nervous too."

Apollo smiled at the girl, "aww, its okay darling, Thalia's got this. No need to worry you cute little head about it."

She blushed and sent the god a small, hesitant grin and relaxed and bit, loosening her grip of the seat back. 

She pulled back on the wheel. It tilted, and the bus lurched upward so fast Percy fell back onto Grover and Sage tightened her grip of the chair again, sending a scared look to Nico and Apollo. 

"Ow" Grover said.

"Sorry." Percy got off Grover and sat next to the goat boy.

"Slower!" Apollo said, sending a less glowing smile to the scared child trying to calm her down.

"Sorry!" Thalia said. "I've got it under control!"

Percy managed to get to his feet. Looking out the window, Sage saw a smoking ring of trees from the clearing where they'd taken off.

"Thalia," Percy said, "lighten up on the accelerator."

"I've got it, Percy," she said, gritting her teeth. But she kept it floored.

"Loosen up," He tried to help her.

I'm loose!" Thalia said. She was so stiff she looked like she was made out of plywood.

"We need to veer south for Long Island," Apollo said. "Hang a left."

Thalia jerked the wheel and again threw Percy into Grover, who yelped. Sage let out a small squeak and closed her eyes tightly, hold the seat as tight as she possibly could. 

"The other left," Apollo suggested.

Sage made the mistake of opening her eyes and looking out the window again. They were at airplane height now—so high the sky was starting to look black.

"Ah..." Apollo said, and Sage got the feeling he was forcing himself to sound calm. "A little lower, sweetheart. Cape Cod is freezing over."

Thalia tilted the wheel. Her face was chalk white, her forehead beaded with sweat. Something was definitely wrong, Sage never seen anyone like this before.

The bus pitched down and Sage screamed. Now they were heading straight toward the Atlantic Ocean at a thousand miles an hour, the New England coastline off to our right. And it was getting hot in the bus.

Apollo had been thrown somewhere in the back of the bus, but he started climbing up the rows of seats.

"Take the wheel!" Grover begged him.

"Please." Sage quickly agreed, tears streaming down her face.

"No worries," Apollo said. He looked plenty worried. "She just has to learn to—WHOA!"

Sage refused to look out the window anymore, she let out a whimper and screwed her eyes closed tighter. Almost to the point that her head hurt and she was in pain. 

"Pull up!" She heard Percy yell.

She heard thaila pull up on the wheel and they shoot up into the sky, Sage's eyes and hands still tightened in fear of the teenagers driving. 

"There!" Apollo pointed. "Long Island, dead ahead. Let's slow down, dear. 'Dead' is only an expression."

Sage's eyes shot open at this and she looked over at the god, fear clear in her brown eyes. She removed one hand from the chair back and it found its way into her best friend's hand, clenching just as tightly as it was onto the seat.


	8. 7 - Welcome to camp

Sage's eyes shot open at this and she looked over at the god, fear clear in her golden brown eyes. She removed one hand from the chair back and it found its way into her best friend's hand, clenching just as tightly as it was on the seat before. 

The blonde immortal looked her way, "Kidding, darling, don't worry." But quickly looked away so she wouldn't see the worry that laid in his blue ones. 

Thalia was thundering toward the coastline of northern Long Island. Sage could spot a valley, woods, and beach from outside the window. She could see a pavilion and cabins and a large outdoor stage type thing.

"I'm under control," Thalia muttered. "I'm under control."

They were only a few hundred yards away now.

"Brake," Apollo said.

"I can do this."

"BRAKE!"

Thalia slammed her foot on the brake, and the sun bus pitched forward at a forty-five-degree angle, slamming into the lake with a huge FLOOOOOOSH! Steam billowed up, sending several frightened ladies scrambling out of the water with half-woven wicker baskets.

The bus bobbed to the surface, along with a couple of capsized, half-melted canoes.

"Well," said Apollo with a brave smile. "You were right, my dear. You had everything under control! Let's go see if we boiled anyone important, shall we?"

"I'm gonna be sick," The curly haired female whispered under her breath. Nico patted her back with a giant smile on his face.

\-----------------------------------------------------------------------

Frost covered a wide, long track and the strawberry fields. The cabins were decorated with tiny flickering lights, like Christmas lights, except they seemed to be balls of real fire to Sage. More lights glowed in the woods, and weirdest of all, a fire flickered in the attic window of a big blue farm house.

"Whoa," Nico said as he climbed off the bus. "Is that a climbing wall?"

"Yeah," Percy said.

"Why is there lava pouring down it?" Sage asked, looking less pale than she did on the ride there. 

"Little extra challenge. Come on. I'll introduce you to Chiron. Zoe, have you met—"

"I know Chiron," Zoe said stiffly. "Tell him we will be in Cabin Eight. Hunters, follow me."

"I'll show you the way," Grover offered.

"We know the way." Sage made a face at the older girl, wondering why she had to be so rude to someone that was only trying to help. 

"Oh, really, it's no trouble. It's easy to get lost here, if you don't"—he tripped over a canoe and came up still talking, Sage giggled at that slightly—"like my old daddy goat used to say! Come on!"

Zoe rolled her eyes, but Sage guessed she figured there was no getting rid of Grover. The Hunters shouldered their packs and their bows and headed off toward the cabins. As Bianca di Angelo was leaving, she leaned over and whispered something in her brothers ear. She looked at him for an answer, but Nico just scowled and turned away.

"Take care, sweethearts!" Apollo called after the Hunters. He winked at Percy. "Watch out for those prophecies, Percy. I'll see you soon."

"What do you mean?"

Instead of answering, he hopped back in the bus. "Later, Thalia," he called. "And, uh, be good!"

He gave her a wicked smile, as if he knew something she didn't and sent Sage one last smile and wave. Then he closed the doors and revved the engine. Sage turned aside as the sun chariot took off in a blast of heat. When She looked back, the lake was steaming. A red Maserati soared over the woods, glowing brighter and climbing higher until it disappeared in a ray of sunlight.

Nico was still looking grumpy. Sage wondered what his sister had told him.

"Who's Chiron?" he asked. "I don't have his figurine."

"It is the hero trainer from mythology? Is it really him? How is he still alive?" Sage wondered.

"Our activities director," I said. "He's... well, you'll see."

"If those Hunter girls don't like him," Nico grumbled, "that's good enough for me. Let's go."

The second thing that surprised Sage about camp was how empty it was. From the way Percy and Grover described the camp hem made it seem like a safe haven for their kind and is full of children, learning about their heritage and training to survive. There was barely anyone there, there was a pair of siblings seeming to be trying to pick a lock to a store, and a tall boy in a forge of some kind. There was a small group having a snowball fight with other kids with green skin near the edge of the forest.

Percy and Thalia led the two kids up to the large farm house Sage saw from the ride on the sun chariot.

The house was decorated with strings of red and yellow fireballs that warmed the porch but didn't seem to catch anything on fire. Inside, flames crackled in the hearth. The air smelled like hot chocolate. Two men were seated on the porch playing a game of cards, the first man was a man in his forties with a shaggy beard, a fuzzy sweater with a hoofprint design and a large blanket covering what appears to be a wheelchair. 

The second man seems to be in his late thirties with a chubby face, a red nose and curly hair so black, it looks purple. He had bloodshot watery blue eyes and was wearing an orange leopard-skin warm-up suit and and purple running shoes. On his head was a golden laurel wreath was tilted sideways on his curly hair.

The first man smiled when he saw the four. "Percy! Thalia! Ah, and this must be—"

"Nico di Angelo," Percy said. "He and his sister are half-bloods."

"And this is Sage Gold," Thaila continued, Sage giving the two men a smile. "She was found with the siblings."

Chiron breathed a sigh of relief. "You succeeded, then."

"Well..." Percy looked away from the adults, a sad look in his eye. 

His smile melted. "What's wrong? And where is Annabeth?"

"Oh, dear," Mr. D said in a bored voice, "Not another one lost."

"What do you mean?" Thalia asked. "Who else is lost?"

Just then, Grover trotted into the room, grinning like crazy. He had a black eye and red lines on his face that looked like a slap mark. "The Hunters are all moved in!"

Chiron frowned. "The Hunters, eh? I see we have much to talk about." He glanced at Nico. "Grover, perhaps you should take our young friends to the den and show them our orientation film."

"But... Oh, right. Yes, sir."

"Orientation film?" Nico asked. "Is it G or PG? 'Cause Bianca is kinda strict—"

"It's PG-13," Grover said.

"Cool!" Nico happily followed him out of the room, Sage looking over her shoulder sending Percy and Thaila a questions look, silently asking for a way out.

All Thalila did was smile at her and Sage followed the satyr into the farmhouse.

\--------------------------------------------------------------

Nico burst into the room, followed by Grover and Sage.

"SO COOL!" Nico yelled, holding his hands out to Chiron. "You're... you're a centaur!"

"I knew it, oh my goodness I could get taught by a living legend!" Sage fangirls next to Grover. 

Chiron managed a nervous smile. "Yes, Mr. di Angelo, if you please. Though, I prefer to stay in human form in this wheelchair for, ah, first encounters."

"And, whoa!" He looked at Mr. D. "You're the wine dude? No way!"

Sage nudged him, "I would show more respect to someone who could turn you into a dolphin, I mean he could also make you go insane. He is the god of wine, madness, parties, and theater to name a few of them."

Lord Dionysus gave Sage an appraising look, turned and gave Nico one of loathing, "The wine dude?"

"Oh, wow! I've got your figurine."

"My figurine."

"In my game, Mythomagic. And a holofoil card, too! And even though you've only got like five hundred attack points and everybody thinks you're the lamest god card, I totally think your powers are sweet!"

"I agree with that! You are one of my top two favorite gods, Hades only beats you cause his helm of darkness is really cool and the fact that he rules of an entire kingdom of the dead is amazing. Plus the fact that the other immortals kind banished him into the underworld just cause he isn't like them is terrible and makes me feel bad for him."

Ah." Dionysus seemed truly perplexed. "Well, that's... gratifying."

"Percy," Chiron said quickly, "you and Thalia go down to the cabins. Inform the campers we'll be playing capture the flag tomorrow evening."

"Capture the flag?" Percy asked. "But we don't have enough—"

"It is a tradition," Chiron said. "A friendly match, whenever the Hunters visit."

"Yeah," Thalia muttered. "I bet it's real friendly."

Chiron jerked his head toward Mr. D, who was still frowning as Nico and Sage talked about how many defense points all the gods had in Nico's game. "Run along now," Chiron told the two.

\------------------------------------------------------------------

Nico and Sage sat with the Stoll brothers, since new campers always got stuck in the Hermes cabin if their Olympian parent was unknown according to Mr.D (That's what Chiron and Dionysus told us to call him). The Stoll brothers were trying to convince Nico that poker was a much better game than Mythomagic. They were not having that much luck in convincing him while Sage was seated next to Nico reading one of her mythology books, dressed in a pair of black ripped jeans and a camp half-blood shirt with white tennis shoes. 

"Hey sage, I was wondering. How are you reading those if you have dyslexia, for most of us it's almost impossible to read anything in english." The oldest of the Stoll brothers questioned, Travis, she thinks. 

"Well when I was younger, my father gave me the books. I could read them but everyone else acted like they were in a foreign language, it took me till 3rd grade to realize they were actually written in a different language. My father gave me books written in greek, I didn't know how I could read them. Well, till now anyways." Sage explained to the older boys, the two just nodding along. 

When everyone finished eating, Chiron made the customary toast to the gods and formally welcomed the Hunters of Artemis. The clapping was pretty halfhearted. Then he announced the "good will" capture-the-flag game for tomorrow night, which got a lot better reception.


	9. 8 - Meeting the goddess

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> know this is cringe, i don't think it will get better though.... I am so sorry in advance

Afterward, everyone trailed back to their cabins for an early, winter lights out. The stoll brothers led Nico and Sage into a basic wood cabin, The Hermes cabin is a log cabin, but rather old, and has a caduceus over the door. The brown paint on the inside is chipped, and the cabin is pretty much crowded at all times. the cabin is full of all the stuff that the children of Hermes have stolen.

The siblings explained that normally the cabin is full to the brim with both the children of Hermes and the unclaimed demigods that have no where else to go but seeing as it was winter and most of the campers only stayed during the summer they had a lot of vacancies so they could take any bed they wanted, excluding theirs. 

\------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The next morning, Sage up before the other boys in the cabin. She got dressed into light washed ripped skinny jeans with an oversized red t-shirt tucked into the front. She tied on her white tennis shoes, grabs a black hoodie from her bag and heads out the door. 

Sage walks around camp for a while, looking at what it had to offer. She walked past the strawberry fields and the cold lake, she looked at the rest of the cabins and made guesses as to what god or goddess they honor, the doll house one was easy to guess, when she say a little girl sitting by a fireplace in the center of the cabins. Sage saw the same girl there yesterday when she and Nico got they official tour by the Stoll brothers, but never had the chance to talk to her. 

She looked to be an eight-year-old girl with mousy brown hair, and fire-red eyes that were warm and cozy. She wore a simple brown dress with a scarf over her head, giving her the look of a pioneer child. As the curly haired girl got closer to the hearth, the air around her heated up and the unknown girl turned to Sage and smiled, a silent invite to join her.

Sage sat across from the stranger and looked at the fire, it was brighter than any fire she had seen before. She looked up and met eyes with the girl.

"Hi, my name's Sage."

The girl smiled at her, "Hello Sage, what are you doing up this early? I don't think anyone from Hermes cabin will be up for a while."

"I woke up and didn't feel like sleeping in anymore, but I could ask you the same thing. We look to be around the same age and I saw you here yesterday, sitting in the same spot tending to the flames. Don't you have somewhere to be as well?"

"I wouldn't always judge appearances child, monsters can look like friends and friends can look like monsters. I am right where I am meant to be."

Sage sat in silence for a while pondering a thought before asking the stranger a question, "What's your name? I told you mine but you never told me yours."

"Well child, it seems you have a guess as to the answer of that question so let me ask you one in return, who do you think I am?"

"Well the hearth gives me quite the clue and you calling me child adds onto the theory. If I would have to guess I would say you are the maiden goddess Hestia, the goddess of the hearth, home, and family and the official eldest of the gods."

Hestia smiled at the demigod as the flames rose a little bit higher and the heat spread further into the snow covered courtyard, melting a larger circle around the two. The goddess showing her joy of being recognized. 

"Well I have to say Lady Hestia, the warmth around here is way better than the cold everywhere else. I've never really like winter, it always gets me in a sour mood."

The goddess quietly laughed the girl's comment and thought to herself, 'ah, like mother, like daughter.'

"Well child, you still have a camp to search, later ask the Hermes boys to take you to the shed to pick a weapon. You might find a hidden treasure in there with your observation skills." The goddess sent one more warm smile to the child before shooing her away to explore the rest of camp.

Sage thanked the goddess and continued her look around camp. She passed an archery range, which was occupied by Chiron and a few blonde kids. She watched for a while as the kids hit the target 9/10 time, some of them seem to hit it all of the times while some missed every few shots. She waved to Chiron as he noticed her watching and after a few more minutes, she moved on.

Her next stop what the sword training field, this seemed to be the only area not covered in snow and frost. There was a few guys sparring against each other, they took a break from it as sweat covered their bodies from the intense fight. They nodded at her as she passed and she sent a smile their way, one of the boys called out to her.

"Hey, your new right?" Sage nodded her head yes at the question and the boy continued, "Breakfast is gonna be served soon so you should start heading back to your cabin and get ready."

She thanked him and ran off to her temporary cabin to make sure boys were awake and to clean up before they had to head down. She ran into Grover on her way there, literally hitting him and knocking them both down onto the snow covered ground. 

"Oh gosh, Grover I am so sorry. I wasn't looking where I was going." Sage rambles as she quickly stands up and offers him a hand. He takes it and she hauling his to his feet. "Again, I am so sorry it's been a little overwhelming learning that my mother is a goddess but not knowing which one."

He chuckled and sends her a lopsided grin, "no worries, every one of the demigod here have gone through the same thing. Lets just say you have been taking it better than some of the others I've seen."

Sage giggled and started walking with him without even realizing it towards the dining pavilion, they chatted about different gods and what she could do here at camp. By he time the reached the pavilion, Grover was mid reenactment of how he almost married a giant cyclops and how if Percy and Annabeth hadn't saved him he would still be on the island tending to the man eating sheep that lived there. 

Grover guided her to the Hermes table and promised her that they would meet up later to continue telling her all the adventures he, Percy and Annabeth had went on the two years the son of Poseidon had been at camp. She sat down between the Stoll sibling and started to plate up food before stopping and looking at the looks the older boys were sending her.

"Hey... Can I help you two gentlemen?" Sage innocently asked the two demigods. "You two are giving some intense looks there, may I ask what I did to earn them?"

Travis broke first and started laughing at the girl, while his brother gave her a small smack to the back of her head. She cried out at the slight pain and glared at the boy, him just turning away from her. 

"what was that for you brat?! I didn't do anything to earn that!" Sage pouted at Connor. 

Travis grabbed her face and squished her cheeks, speaking in a baby voice, "yeah Connor, tell her what she did. I mean, you can't stay mad at this face, she's too cute!"

Connor turned and faced the two and cracked his famous grin, he let out a laugh and nodded his head in agreement to his brother statement. "You worried us this morning when we woke up and you were nowhere to be found, we were about to start looking for you when you walk in like with Grover like you done nothing at all. no more just wandering off young lady, if you plan on leaving early wake one of us up and tell us so I don't have to freak out again!"

Sage laughed and wrapped her arms around Connor, giving him a hug. "I'm sorry Connor, I promise I won't worry you again." She removes her arms and looked at the other Stoll, "But can you guys take me to the weapons shed, I was talking with... another camper this morning when I went exploring and they told we to ask you guys to take me. So will you?"

The sons of Hermes shared a look over Sage's head and had a silent conversation with each other. This went on for a little bit before grinning at each other and replying in sync, "sure!"

**Author's Note:**

> I know this sucks, plz be nice about it


End file.
